Chapter 39

Stepping into November, the early days of winter in deep autumn, the weather was turning cold. Outside the window, the evening glow churned at the horizon, light and shadow mottled.

Xiao Chen leaned against the front of the podium, hands tucked into his pockets.

Another gentle force enveloped his right arm.

The classroom lights were off, quiet and ambiguous.

The rosy glow coming through the windows cast a pale purple haze in the classroom, adding a hint of ambiguity to the tranquil space.

Gripping his arm, Yu Na was perhaps affected by the current environment. Her voice was soft as reassuring words entered his ears, "Aren't I still here?"

Xiao Chen let her clutch his arm, not saying anything, just looking at her quietly.

Yu Na's eyes blinked blinkingly, clear and bright like black jade stones.

Her stubborn gaze lingered on him as she added, "Should I keep a closer eye on him?"

At this moment in the dimness, her eyes were especially captivating.

He had seen how Yu Na interacted with other men, aloof and detached, deliberately keeping her distance.

But now, Yu Na seemed to have shed her cool exterior, revealing the gentleness in her bones.

Xiao Chen looked a little awkward. It felt like an inexplicable force had slammed his heart.

He quickly averted his eyes, feigning calm as he said, "No need. Let him rise and fall on his own."

Before Yu Na could respond, he spoke again, his manner slightly softer than before, "Don't you still have to supervise the evening self-study session?"

Standing in front of him, she made a faint murmur of agreement.

The parents had gradually all left the school, while the students were having dinner in the cafeteria.

Xiao Chen checked the time. Some students were already done with dinner and heading back to the classrooms.

He steadied his emotions. "Then I'll get going first."

"Alright."

As Xiao Chen turned to leave, Yu Na seemed unable to shake off the inexplicable atmosphere from earlier. Facing his retreating back, reluctance on her face, she called out softly, "Hey, wait a second."

"Hmm?" Night was falling rapidly and the classroom was plunged into darkness.

Xiao Chen glanced back, his eyes obscure.

She didn't know why she had called out to him. The only reason she could think of was that she was reluctant to part with him. But she could already hear the sounds of students coming upstairs.

She could only repress her personal feelings and gave him a gentle smile, "It's nothing. I just wanted to tell you not to worry."

"Okay," The corners of Xiao Chen's lips curved up slightly. "Remember to eat dinner."

Then he opened the classroom door and left before the students returned.

Standing outside the classroom, Yu Na heaved a deep sigh, gazing at his retreating figure, her emotions amplifying in the darkness.

She took out her phone from her pocket and snapped a picture of the podium where the two of them had stood earlier.

In the photo, there was just a faint glow on the podium.

Yet in the cold, it resembled a small furnace, radiating billowing warmth.

Yu Na leaned against the corridor railing outside the classroom, sending the picture to her moments page visible only to herself.

Caption: 11.5/6:19pm.

She didn't go eat dinner. Turning on the classroom lights, she stood at the podium, wanting to analyze Qiao Rui's English test paper.

But she found there was nothing to analyze. Because everything was just randomly filled.

With multiple choice questions in English tests, one could quickly finish by just randomly filling without reading the questions.

The last essay question was also hastily scribbled before abruptly ending it.

She looked at the other students' papers.

The students trickled back into the classroom in groups, noticing Yu Na's not too happy expression as she sat alone looking through the stack of test papers.

Because Yu Na's management style was relaxed, Class 3 had grown accustomed to being free and loose.

The negative impact was directly reflected in the test papers — Class 3's scores this time were not outstanding.

Perhaps due to this, the students didn't dare joke around with Yu Na like usual. Instead, they slinked back to their seats, awaiting judgment.

But Yu Na ignored them.

As the evening self-study session started, she went back to the office and brought her laptop over.

The whole classroom was shrouded in low air pressure. Except for the occasional murmurs, the rest had their heads down doing homework, while sneakily peering up to observe Yu Na's expression from time to time.

If she had angrily vented, perhaps everyone would be alright. But her silent sitting at the podium made everyone feel uneasy.

When the first period of evening self-study ended, the class couldn't wait to go out and get some air to dissipate the oppressive atmosphere. But Yu Na was the first to stand up. Facing the students below she said, "Qiao Rui, come with me to the office."

Qiao Rui: "......"

His heart thumped nervously.

With Yu Na spending the entire evening self-study session flipping through test papers, being summoned by her now surely wasn't for anything good.

The rest of the classmates shot Qiao Rui a sympathetic look before swarming out.

Qiao Rui didn't even dare to breathe loudly as he followed Yu Na to the office.

Yu Na placed his test paper on her desk and questioned, "Have you gotten so lazy that you can't even pretend to try?"

Because Qiao Rui was usually on good terms with Yu Na, he immediately turned on the charm offensive by half-squatting before her. "Teacher, do you believe me? My injured foot flared up during the exam. It really hurt a lot then, so I really couldn't write. That's why—"

Before he could finish, Yu Na impatiently cut him off. "Stand up properly."

"Oh."

Qiao Rui obediently stood in front of her, hands behind his back, knowing he couldn't escape this scolding. So he simply admitted defeat. "Teacher Yu, scold me all you want. My English grades really aren't good and I don't know how to study either."

If he had tried to talk his way out, Yu Na might have still berated him severely. But with his resignation now, she found herself unable to say anything too harsh.

"Do you know why I only called you in?"

"I don't know."

"Out of the whole class, only your test paper was completely random scribbles from start to finish."

Qiao Rui kept silent.

"I know you're very resistant towards studying. But have you ever thought about your future? With grades like these, you can forget about getting into college. What do you plan to do then? You'll have to step up to inherit the family business."

Yu Na went on. "Do you know how worried your brother is about your grades today?"

Qiao Rui daringly asked, "Teacher, could it be that you feel sorry for my brother?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Yu Na fiercely slammed the desk with a clear "pa!" sound. "Qiao Rui!"

This time she was truly angry.

Qiao Rui quickly clammed up in fright.

"I joke around with you guys because I don't want you to feel too stressed about studying. But after all, I'm still your homeroom teacher. Outside of school we can be friends, but in school, I hope you can respect me."

"Yes, Teacher Yu."

Yu Na rubbed her temples. "Your brother provides for your food and lodging, and this is how you repay him? I heard your current grades are even worse than before you transferred. Looks like I'll have to give your mother a call to communicate about this."

"No please Teacher!" Now Qiao Rui was completely panicking. "I promise I'll properly test hard for the finals!"

Yu Na shook her head helplessly, also at a loss for what more to say to him. She cut straight to the chase: "From today until the final exams, I'll be present at every evening self-study session. If the teacher in charge doesn't teach, come to my office and I'll personally tutor you."